montage of images: schoolgirl and parents

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ image
What Is Vericool?

VeriCool for Schools is a suite of software designed by Anteon (UK) to offer a school the most cost-effective and beneficial way of moving from a manual or card-based registration and cashless catering process.  VeriCool is based upon an efficient biometric solution that uses fingertip verification as the key identifier.  When entering the classroom or canteen, the user places their enrolled finger on the digital fingertip scanner and in less than one second their identity is verified.

How Does The Fingertip Scanner And Software Capture A Unique Identity?

The light in the scanner is used to illuminate the fingerprint and the scanning device effectively takes a photograph (which is termed as capturing the image). On a camera, the image data would be stored so that the picture can be reproduced again & again. Our software scans up to 120 points of the ridges and furrows of a fingertip and then encrypts them as a string of letters and numbers. This digital signature is then stored on a dedicated school server using one of the most secure methods of encryption available, 128K BIT encryption. Since only specific points are stored rather than a picture, it is impossible to "reverse engineer" a digital signature and turn it into a fingerprint. It is this element of our software that securely protects an individual's identity now, and in the future.

What If A Parent Or Guardian Refuses To Allow Their Child To Take Part?

Importantly, for parents who do not wish to have their child’s fingertips enrolled into the VeriCool system, we have provided the school with an override option, so that these children can still be registered in class, or purchase in the canteen, using a purely manual verification process.  This option also ensures that no free school meal students are identified even if they are processed manually.

How Can We Ensure That Parents And Guardians Accept This New Technology?

The key to a successful installation of our software is to ensure that your school get 100% support from students, staff and parents.  To achieve this we advise schools to communicate their intentions to operate VeriCool to parents at an early stage.  We provide schools with posters and information to display to students in advance of enrolment, in order to explain what the VeriCool system is and what the enrolment procedure comprises.  We can also assist schools by issuing parent information letters that detail what the school is installing and how the technology works.